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13 July 2025 at 08:17

From today's featured article

Picture illustrating heartburn
Picture illustrating heartburn

Heartburn is a burning sensation felt behind the breastbone. It is a symptom that is commonly linked to acid reflux and is often triggered by food, particularly fatty, sugary, spicy, chocolate, onions, citrus, and tomato-based products. Lying down, bending, lifting, and performing certain exercises can exacerbate heartburn. Causes include acid reflux, gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), damage to the esophageal lining, bile acid, mechanical stimulation to the esophagus, and esophageal hypersensitivity. Heartburn affects 25% of the population at least once a month. Endoscopy and esophageal pH monitoring can be used to evaluate heartburn. Some causes of heartburn, such as GERD, may be diagnosed based on symptoms alone. Lifestyle changes, such as losing weight and avoiding fatty foods, can improve heartburn. Over-the-counter alginates or antacids can help with mild or occasional heartburn. Heartburn treatment primarily involves H2 receptor antagonists and proton-pump inhibitors. (Full article...)

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Today's featured picture

Wood stork

The wood stork (Mycteria americana) is a large wading bird found in warmer parts of the Americas. North American birds may disperse to South America, where it is resident. Its bare head and neck are dark grey and the plumage is mostly white, with black on the tail and part of the wing. The sexes are similar, but the juvenile has a feathered head and a yellow, not black, bill. The wood stork nests colonially in wetlands, building its one-metre-diameter (3.3-foot) nest in trees; the breeding season starting when water levels drop. The clutch of three to five eggs is incubated for around 30 days, and the chicks fledge 60 to 65 days after hatching, although many die during their first two weeks. The chicks are fed fish while the adult also eats insects, frogs and crabs as available, foraging by touch in shallow water. This wood stork was photographed with a Yacare caiman in the Pantanal, Brazil.

Photograph credit: Charles J. Sharp

Mystery of Air India crash deepens as report reveals cockpit audio

13 July 2025 at 00:50
Air India plane descending moments before crash

Investigators have uncovered a chilling discovery in the preliminary investigation into the Air India Flight 171 crash which killed 260 people in June.

Just seconds after takeoff, both the 12-year-old Boeing 787 Dreamliner's fuel-control switches abruptly moved to the "cut-off" position, starving the engines of fuel and triggering total power loss. Switching to "cut-off" is a move typically done only after landing.

The cockpit voice recording captures one pilot asking the other why he "did the cut-off", to which the person replies that he didn't. The recording doesn't clarify who said what. At the time of takeoff, the co-pilot was flying the aircraft while the captain was monitoring.

The switches were returned to their normal inflight position, triggering automatic engine relight. At the time of the crash, one engine was regaining thrust while the other had relit but had not yet recovered power.

Air India Flight 171 was airborne for less than 40 seconds before crashing into a crowded neighbourhood in the western Indian city of Ahmedabad, marking one of India's most baffling aviation disasters.

Investigators are probing the wreckage and cockpit recorders to understand what went wrong just after takeoff. The Air India flight climbed to 625 feet in clear weather before losing location data 50 seconds in, per Flightradar24. Saturday's 15-page report offers early insights.

The investigation - led by Indian authorities with experts from Boeing, General Electric, Air India, Indian regulators, and participants from the US and UK - raises several questions.

Investigators say the lever-lock fuel switches are designed to prevent accidental activation - they must be pulled up to unlock before flipping, a safety feature dating back to the 1950s. Built to exacting standards, they're highly reliable. Protective guard brackets further shield them from accidental bumps.

"It would be almost impossible to pull both switches with a single movement of one hand, and this makes accidental deployment unlikely," a Canada-based air accidents investigator, who wanted to remain unnamed, told the BBC.

That's what makes the Air India case stand out.

If one of the pilots was responsible for shutting down the switches, intentionally or not, it "does beg the question: why... pull the switches to the off position," Shawn Pruchnicki, a former airline accident investigator and aviation expert at Ohio State University, said.

"Was it intentional, or the result of confusion? That seems unlikely, as the pilots reported nothing unusual. In many cockpit emergencies, pilots may press the wrong buttons or make incorrect selections - but there was no indication of such a situation here, nor any discussion suggesting that the fuel switches were selected by mistake. This kind of error doesn't typically happen without some evident issue," he told the BBC.

Getty Images Two investigative officials stand at the site of Air India Boeing 787 crash site. They stand with their backs to the camera, next to the remnants of the plane amid foliage.Getty Images
Air India Flight 171 crashed into a crowded neighbourhood in Ahmedabad

Peter Goelz, a former managing director of the US's NTSB, echoed a similar sentiment: "The finding is very disturbing - that a pilot has shut off the fuel switch within seconds of flying."

"There's likely much more on the cockpit voice recorder than what's been shared. A lone remark like 'why did you cut off the switches' isn't enough," he said.

"The new details suggest someone in the cockpit shut those valves. The question is, who, and why? Both switches were turned off and then restarted within seconds. The voice recorder will reveal more: was the flying pilot trying to restart the engines, or the monitoring one?"

Investigators believe the cockpit voice recorder - with audio from pilot mics, radio calls and ambient cockpit sounds - holds the key to this puzzle.

"They haven't identified the voices yet, which is crucial. Typically, when the voice recorder is reviewed, people familiar with the pilots are present to help match voices. As of now, we still don't know which pilot turned the switches off and back on," said Mr Goelz.

In short, investigators say what's needed is clear voice identification, a full cockpit transcript with labelled speakers, and a thorough review of all communications from the moment the plane was pushed back from the gate to the time it crashed.

They also say this underscores the need for cockpit video recorders, as recommended by the NTSB. An over-the-shoulder view would show whose hand was on the cut-off switch.

Before boarding Flight 171, both pilots and crew passed breathalyser tests and were cleared fit to fly, the report says. The pilots, based in Mumbai, had arrived in Ahmedabad the day before the flight and had adequate rest.

But investigators are also zeroing in on what they describe is an interesting point in the report.

It says in December 2018, the US Federal Aviation Administration issued a Special Airworthiness Information Bulletin (SAIB) highlighting that some Boeing 737 fuel control switches were installed with the locking feature disengaged.

While the issue was noted, it wasn't deemed an unsafe condition requiring an Airworthiness Directive (AD) - a legally enforceable regulation to correct unsafe conditions in a product.

The same switch design is used in Boeing 787-8 aircraft, including Air India's VT-ANB which crashed. As the SAIB was advisory, Air India did not perform the recommended inspections.

Bloomberg via Getty Images An employee, right, sits with a visitor inside the cockpit of a Boeing Co. 787 Dreamliner aircraft, operated by Air India Ltd., on display during the India Aviation 2014 air show held at the Begumpet Airport in Hyderabad, India, on Thursday, March 13, 2014. The air show takes place from March 12-16. Photographer: Dhiraj Singh/Bloomberg via Getty ImagesBloomberg via Getty Images
A cockpit of a Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircraft, operated by Air India at an air show in India

Mr Pruchnicki said he's wondering whether there was a problem with the fuel control switches.

"What does this [bit in the report] exactly mean? Does it mean that with a single flip, that switch could shut the engine off and cut the fuel supply? When the locking feature is disengaged, what exactly happens? Could the switch just flip itself to off and shut down the engine? If that's the case, it's a really serious issue. If not, that also needs to be explained," he said.

Others, however, aren't convinced this is a key issue.

"I haven't heard of this which appears to be a low-profile FAA issuance. Nor have I heard any complaints [about the fuel switches] from pilots - who are usually quick to speak up. It's worth examining since it's mentioned, but it may just be a distraction," said Mr Goelz.

Capt Kishore Chinta, a former investigator with India's Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB), wonders whether the switches tripped because of a problem with the plane's electronic control unit.

"Can the fuel cut-off switches be triggered electronically by the plane's electronic control unit without movement by the pilot? If the fuel cut-off switches tripped electronically, then it's a cause for concern," he told the BBC.

The report says fuel samples from the refuelling tanks were "satisfactory". Experts had earlier suggested fuel contamination as a possible cause of the dual engine failure. Notably, no advisory has been issued for the Boeing 787 or its GE GEnx-1B engines, with mechanical failure ruled out for now pending further investigation.

It also said that the aircraft's Ram Air Turbine (RAT) had deployed - a clear sign of a major systems failure - and the landing gear was found in "down position" or not retracted.

The RAT, a small propeller that extends from the underside of the Boeing 787 Dreamliner, acts as an emergency backup generator. It automatically deploys in flight when both engines lose power or if all three hydraulic systems register critically low pressure, supplying limited power to keep essential flight systems operational.

"The deployment of the Ram Air Turbine (RAT) strongly supports the conclusion that both engines had failed," Mr Pruchnicki said.

A Boeing 787 pilot explained why he thought the landing gear was not retracted.

"These days, every time I take off in a 787, I notice the landing gear retraction process closely. By the time the gear handle is pulled, we're already at about 200ft (60.9m), and the entire gear retraction process completes by around 400ft - roughly eight seconds in total, thanks to the aircraft's high-pressure hydraulic system."

The pilot believes the one flying had no time to think.

"When both engines fail and the aircraft starts going down, the reaction goes beyond just being startled - you go numb. In that moment, landing gear isn't your focus. Your mind is on one thing: the flight path. Where can I put this aircraft down safely? And in this case, there simply wasn't enough altitude to work with."

Investigators say the crew tried to recover, but it happened too fast.

"The engines were switched off and then back on. The pilots realised the engines were losing thrust - likely restarting the left one first, followed by the right," said Mr Pruchnicki.

"But the right engine didn't have enough time to spool back up, and the thrust was insufficient. Both were eventually set to "run", but with the left shut down first and the right too late to recover, it was simply too little, too late."

Trump says EU and Mexico face 30% tariff from August

13 July 2025 at 02:31
BBC 'Breaking' graphicBBC

President Donald Trump has announced that the European Union and Mexico will face a 30% tariff on imports to the US from 1 August.

He warned he would impose even higher import taxes if either of the US trading partners decided to retaliate.

The announcement was made in two letters posted on Trump's Truth Social website. Similar letters were sent this week to several other countries.

The 27-member EU - America's biggest trading partner - said earlier this week it hoped to agree a deal with Washington before 1 August.

In the letter to European Commission Ursula von der Leyen, Trump wrote: "We have had years to discuss our trading relationship with the European Union, and have concluded that we must move away from these long-term-large, and persistent, trade deficits, engendered by your tariff, and non-tariff, policies and trade barriers."

"Our relationship has been, unfortunately, far from reciprocal," the letter added.

The EU has been a frequent target of Trump's criticism, and in April Washington announced levies of 20% on European goods.

In 2024, the US trade deficit with the bloc was $235.6bn (€202bn; £174bn), according to the office of the US trade representative.

This breaking news story is being updated and more details will be published shortly. Please refresh the page for the fullest version.

You can receive Breaking News on a smartphone or tablet via the BBC News App. You can also follow @BBCBreaking on X to get the latest alerts.

Gaza hospital says 24 people killed near aid site as witnesses blame IDF

13 July 2025 at 05:49
Reuters Image shows Palestinians seeking aid near an aid distribution site run by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation in Rafah, the southern Gaza Strip, on 27 May 2025Reuters
Palestinians seeking food and other supplies near an aid distribution site in May

The Nasser hospital in southern Gaza has said 24 people have been killed near an aid distribution site.

Palestinians who were present at the site said Israeli troops opened fire as people were trying to access food on Saturday.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said there were "no known injured individuals" from IDF fire near the site.

Separately, an Israeli military official said warning shots were fired to disperse people who the IDF believed were a threat.

The claims by both sides have not been independently verified. Israel does not allow international news organisations, including the BBC, into Gaza.

Footage seen by the BBC later on Saturday showed what appeared to be a number of body bags at Nasser hospital's courtyard surrounded by nurses and people in blood-stained clothes.

In another video, a man said people were waiting to get aid when they came under targeted fire for five minutes. A paramedic accused Israeli troops of killing in cold blood.

The videos have not been verified by the BBC.

Reuters said it had spoken to witnesses who described people being shot in the head and torso. The news agency also reported seeing bodies wrapped in white shrouds at Nasser hospital.

There have been almost daily reports of people being killed by Israeli fire while seeking food in Gaza.

Israel imposed a total blockade of aid deliveries to the Gaza Strip in March, and later resumed its military offensive against Hamas, collapsing a two-month ceasefire. It said it wanted to put pressure on the Palestinian armed group to release Israeli hostages.

Although the blockade was partially eased in late May, amid warnings of a looming famine from global experts, there are still severe shortages of food, as well as medicine and fuel.

The UN agency for Palestinian refugees, Unrwa, says there are thousands of malnourished children across the territory, with more cases detected every day.

In addition to allowing in some UN aid lorries, Israel and the US set up a new aid distribution system run by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), saying they wanted to prevent Hamas from stealing aid.

On Friday, the UN human rights office said that it had so far recorded 798 aid-related killings, including 615 in the vicinity of the GHF's sites, which are operated by US private security contractors and located inside military zones in southern and central Gaza.

The other 183 killings were recorded near UN and other aid convoys.

The Israeli military said it recognised there had been incidents in which civilians had been harmed and that it was working to minimise "possible friction between the population and the [Israeli] forces as much as possible".

The GHF accused the UN of using "false and misleading" statistics from Gaza's Hamas-run health ministry.

Earlier this month, a former security contractor for the GHF told the BBC he witnessed colleagues opening fire several times on hungry Palestinians who had posed no threat. The GHF said the allegations were categorically false.

Israel launched a military campaign in Gaza in response to Hamas' cross-border attack on 7 October 2023, in which about 1,200 people were killed and 251 others were taken hostage.

At least 57,823 people have been killed in Gaza since then, according to the Hamas-run health ministry.

'They were just kids': Mother mourns sons killed in Israeli strike while waiting for aid

12 July 2025 at 09:12
BBC Iman al-Nouri weeps while talking about the Israeli strike that killed two of her sons and seriously wounded anotherBBC
Two of Iman al-Nouri's five sons were killed on Thursday's Israeli strike, while a third was seriously wounded

Iman al-Nouri's youngest son, two-year-old Siraj, woke up crying from hunger on Thursday and asked to get some nutritional supplements.

Siraj's 14-year-old cousin, Sama, agreed to take him and two of his older brothers - Omar, nine, and Amir, five - to the Altayara health clinic in Deir al-Balah, central Gaza.

"The [medical] point was still closed, so they were sitting on the pavement when suddenly we heard the sound of the strike," Iman told a local journalist working for the BBC.

"I went to [my husband] and said: 'Your children, Hatim! They went to the point.'"

Family handout Iman al-Nouri's son, AmirFamily handout
Amir, five, was killed instantly in the Israeli strike, according to Iman

Warning: This piece contains graphic descriptions of death and violence

Iman, a 32-year-old mother of five, rushed to the scene after hearing the strike, only to find her sons and niece lying on a donkey cart that was being used to transport casualties to the hospital because there were no ambulances.

Amir and Sama were among the dead, while Omar and Siraj were seriously wounded.

"Omar still had some breath in him. They tried to revive him," Iman recalled. "Omar needed blood, and it took them an hour to get it. They gave it to him, but it was in vain."

"Why are they gone? Why? What did they do wrong?" she asked.

"They had dreams just like any other children in the world. If you gave them a small toy, they'd be so happy. They were just kids."

Family handout Iman al-Nouri's son Omar (right) and one of his elder brothersFamily handout
Nine-year-old Omar (right), pictured with his elder brother, died of his wounds in hospital

Iman said Siraj's head was bleeding and he had lost an eye – an image that she cannot now get out of her head.

"He had fractures in his skull and... according to the doctor, not just bleeding, but [a major haemorrhage] on his brain," she added. "How long can he stay like this, living on oxygen? Two are already gone. If only he could help me hold on a little longer."

Tragically, doctors have said they are unable to treat Siraj.

"Since yesterday at 07:00 until now, he's in the same condition. He's still breathing, his chest rises and falls, he still has breath in him. Save him!" she pleaded.

Family handout Iman al-Nouri's son, SirajFamily handout
Iman said doctors had told her that they were unable to treat two-year-old Siraj

A spokesperson for the US-based aid group Project Hope, which runs the Altayara clinic, told the BBC that the strike happened at around 07:15.

Women and children were waiting outside before it opened at 09:00, in order to be first in line for nutrition and other health services, Dr Mithqal Abutaha said.

CCTV footage of the Israeli air strike shows two men walking along a street, just metres away from a group of women and children. Moments later, there is an explosion next to the men and the air is filled with dust and smoke.

In a graphic video showing the aftermath of the attack, many dead and severely wounded children and adults are seen lying on the ground.

"Please get my daughter an ambulance," one woman calls out as she tends to a young girl. But for many it was too late for help."

Dr Abutaha said 16 people were killed, including 10 children and three women.

The Israeli military said it targeted a "Hamas terrorist" and that it regretted any harm to what it called "uninvolved individuals", while adding that the incident was under review.

Project Hope said the strike was "a blatant violation of international humanitarian law, and a stark reminder that no one and no place is safe in Gaza".

Dr Abutaha said it was "unbearable" when he found out that people were killed "where they [were] seeking their basic humanitarian and human rights".

He questioned the Israeli military's statement on the strike, including its expression of regret, saying that it "cannot bring those patients, those beneficiaries back alive".

He also said that the clinic was a UN-recognised, "deconflicted humanitarian facility", and that no military actions should have taken place nearby.

Anadolu via Getty Images Palestinians hold out pans at a charity kitchen in the al-Rimal neighbourhood of Gaza City (11 July 2025)Anadolu via Getty Images
The UN says there are thousands of malnourished children across Gaza

Iman said her children used to go to the clinic every two or three days to get nutritional supplements because she and Hatim were not able to give them enough food.

"Their father risks his life just to bring them flour. When he goes to Netzarim [military corridor north of Deir al-Balah], my heart breaks. He goes there to bring food or flour."

"Does anyone have anything? There's no food. What else would make a child scream if he didn't want something?"

Israel imposed a total blockade of aid deliveries to Gaza at the start of March and resumed its military offensive against Hamas two weeks later, collapsing a two-month ceasefire. It said it wanted to put pressure on the Palestinian armed group to release Israeli hostages.

Although the blockade was partially eased in late May, amid warnings of a looming famine from global experts, there are still severe shortages of food, as well as medicine and fuel.

The UN agency for Palestinian refugees (Unrwa) says there are thousands of malnourished children across the territory, with more cases detected every day.

Dr Abutaha said Project Hope had also noticed an alarming rise in cases of malnutrition among adults, which they had not observed before in Gaza.

In addition to allowing in some UN aid lorries, Israel and the US helped set up a new aid distribution system run by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), saying they wanted to prevent Hamas from stealing aid. But since then, there have been almost daily reports of people being killed by Israeli fire while seeking food.

The UN human rights office said on Friday that it had so far recorded 798 such killings, including 615 in the vicinity of the GHF's sites, which are operated by US private security contractors and located inside military zones in southern and central Gaza. The other 183 killings were recorded near UN and other aid convoys.

The Israeli military said it recognised there had been incidents in which civilians had been harmed and that it was working to minimise "possible friction between the population and the [Israeli] forces as much as possible".

The GHF accused the UN of using "false and misleading" statistics from Gaza's Hamas-run health ministry.

Iman al-Nouri (2nd right), her husband Hatim (right) and two of their sons look at photos on a mobile phone
Iman said a ceasefire "means nothing to me after my children are gone"

Dr Abutaha called on Israel to allow in enough food, medicine and fuel to meet the basic humanitarian needs of everyone in Gaza, so that "everyone could have a dignified life".

He also expressed concern that people were being given "false hope" that Israel and Hamas could soon agree a new ceasefire deal.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Thursday that an agreement on a 60-day truce and the release of 28 hostages could be just days away.

But Palestinian officials said on Friday night that the indirect talks in Qatar were on the brink of collapse because of significant gaps remaining on issues like Israeli troop withdrawals and Hamas's rejection of an Israeli plan to move all of Gaza's population into a camp in Rafah.

"Every day they talk about a ceasefire, but where is it?" Iman said.

"They've killed us through hunger, through gunfire, through bombs, through air strikes. We've died in every possible way."

"It's better to go to God than stay with any of them. May God give me patience."

German backpacker found after 11 nights in Australia's outback

12 July 2025 at 19:20
Western Australia Police German backpacker Carolina Wilga pictured smiling in the sun while sitting on grassWestern Australia Police

A backpacker survived nearly two weeks lost in Western Australia's outback by drinking from puddles and sleeping in a cave, police have said.

Carolina Wilga, 26, from Germany, was rescued on Friday. She had suffered from exhaustion, dehydration, "extensive insect bites" and an injured foot, according to police.

Officers said she walked 24km (15 miles) away from her van in a "confused and disorientated" state after it became stuck in remote bushland.

Ms Wilga had convinced herself she was not going to be found, police said, adding that the backpacker's family was relieved and thankful.

"She spent 11 nights exposed to the elements and survived by consuming the minimal food supplies she had in her possession, and drinking water from rain and puddles," a Western Australia police statement said.

The rescue was down to "sheer luck", acting police inspector Jessica Securo said in a news conference.

Ms Wilga was spotted by a driver and airlifted to a hospital in Perth.

Tania Henley, the driver, told Australia's public broadcaster ABC that she saw Ms Wilga waving her hands by the side of the road, and she appeared to be in a "fragile state".

"Everything in this bush is very prickly. I just can't believe that she survived. She had no shoes on, she'd wrapped her foot up," Ms Henley said.

Before her rescue, Ms Wilga was last seen at a general store in the town of Beacon, Western Australia, in her van on 29 June.

Police found her abandoned van on Thursday in dense bushland north of Beacon.

Securo said it appeared Ms Wilga had lost control of the vehicle, which became mechanically unsound and bogged.

Ms Wilga has had a "good night's sleep" in hospital and is "just taking it one day at a time", Securo said.

Israeli settlers kill Palestinians in West Bank attack, health ministry says

12 July 2025 at 22:34
AFP File photo showing Palestinians looking on as a fire burns on a hilltop that was seized by Israeli settlers near the town of Sinjil, in the occupied West Bank (4July 2025)AFP
(File photo) Palestinians look on as a fire burns on a hilltop seized by Israeli settlers near Sinjil on 4 July

Two Palestinians have been killed in an attack by Israeli settlers on a town in the north of the occupied West Bank, according to the Palestinian health ministry.

The Israeli military said stones were thrown at Israelis near Sinjil and that "a violent confrontation developed in the area".

It added that security forces were looking into the reports of one Palestinian being killed, and the incident involving the second was under review.

There has been a surge in violence in the West Bank since Hamas's attack on southern Israel on 7 October 2023, which triggered the war in Gaza.

The UN says at least 910 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces in the West Bank, 13 by Israeli settlers, and another seven by either Israeli forces or settlers. At least 44 Israelis have also been killed in Palestinian attacks in Israel and the West Bank.

Sayfollah Musallet, a 23-year-old dual US citizen from Florida, was fatally beaten during the incident on Friday evening in Sinjil, the Palestinian ministry said.

The second man, Mohammed al-Shalabi, also 23, died after being shot in the chest, it added.

The US state department said it was "aware of reports of the death of a US citizen in the West Bank", and that it had no further comment "out of respect for the privacy of the family".

Sayfollah Musallet, a businessman whose nickname was Saif, travelled from his home in Tampa to the West Bank on 4 June, according to his family.

A statement alleged that he was "brutally beaten to death by Israeli settlers while he was protecting his family's land from settlers who were attempting to steal it".

"Israeli settlers surrounded Saif for over three hours as paramedics attempted to reach him, but the mob of settlers blocked the ambulance and paramedics from providing life-saving aid."

"After the mob of Israeli settlers cleared, Saif's younger brother rushed to carry his brother to the ambulance. Saif died before making it to the hospital."

The statement added: "We demand the US state department lead an immediate investigation and hold the Israeli settlers who killed Saif accountable for their crimes."

Official Palestinian news agency Wafa reported that Mohammed al-Shalabi was from the town of al-Mazraa al-Sharqiya, just south of Sinjil.

It cited the Palestinian health ministry as saying that he was shot in the chest by settlers, during the same attack in which Sayfollah Musallet was killed.

He was left bleeding for hours before paramedics were able to reach him, it added.

Wafa reported than another 10 Palestinians from Sinjil and neighbouring areas were injured in the clashes with settlers who were armed with automatic rifles.

The Israeli military said in a statement on Friday night that "terrorists hurled rocks at Israeli civilians adjacent to Sinjil", lightly injuring two of them.

"A violent confrontation developed in the area involving Palestinians and Israeli civilians, which included vandalism of Palestinian property, arson, physical clashes, and rock hurling."

The military said soldiers, police and paramilitary Border Police forces were dispatched to the area and "used riot dispersal means in response to the violent confrontation".

It added that it was "aware of reports regarding a Palestinian civilian killed and a number of injured Palestinians as a result of the confrontation", and that they were being looked into by the Shin Bet security service and the Israel Police.

When asked by the BBC on Saturday for a response to the reports that a second Palestinian was killed, the military said: "The situation is under review".

Separately, the US embassy in Jerusalem has said it condemns recent violence by Israeli settlers against the Christian town of Taybeh in the West Bank.

Most of the land there is owned by Palestinian-Americans and, according to locals, some 300 residents are US passport holders.

Attacks, including by masked men torching cars and attacking homes, have ramped up. On Monday, settlers set fields ablaze close to a fifth-Century church, leading to a call for international action from the town's priests.

The State Department said in response it had no higher priority than the safety and security of US citizens overseas and that protecting Christians was a priority for President Donald Trump.

Israel has built about 160 settlements housing some 700,000 Jews since it occupied the West Bank and East Jerusalem - land Palestinians want, along with Gaza, for a hoped-for future state - during the 1967 Middle East war. An estimated 3.3 million Palestinians live alongside them.

The settlements are considered illegal under international law - a position supported by an advisory opinion of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) last year - although Israel disputes this.

There has been a sharp increase in the number and severity of settler attacks in the West Bank over the same period. The UN says there were 136 attacks by settlers resulting in casualties or property damage in May alone.

On Thursday, a 22-year-old Israeli security guard Shalev Zvuluny was shot and killed when two Palestinian men opened fire and tried to stab passerbys in the car park of a shopping centre in the Gush Etzion settlement bloc, in the south of the West Bank.

The attackers were shot dead by soldiers and armed civilians present at the scene, police said.

Tom Bateman contributed to this report

North Korea's Benidorm-style resort welcomes first Russian tourists

12 July 2025 at 08:39
Getty Images A North Korean tourist slides down a waterslide at the new resort. Several other visitors watch on. The photo is imposed over the BBC Verify colours and branding. Getty Images

A new beach resort in North Korea, criticised by human rights groups for the harsh treatment of construction workers, has welcomed its first group of Russian tourists this week.

The Wonsan Kalma resort was opened in a grand ceremony last month by North Korea's leader, Kim Jong Un, who hailed it as a "world-class tourist and cultural destination".

The details of how this resort was built have been shrouded in secrecy in a country largely closed to the outside world.

BBC Verify has studied satellite imagery, obtained internal planning documents, and spoken to experts and former North Korean insiders about their concerns over human rights abuses during the development of the site.

Echoes of Benidorm

Kim Jong Un spent much of his youth in Wonsan, and prior to the building of the new resort the town was a popular holiday destination for the country's elite.

"When the Wonsan tourist area was initially planned… the idea was to attract around one million tourists to the area while keeping it a closed-off zone," says Ri Jong Ho, a senior North Korean economic official involved in the resort's early planning stages and who defected in 2014.

"The intention was to open North Korea up a bit."

In 2017, a year before construction began, Kim sent a delegation on a fact-finding mission to Spain, where the team toured the resort of Benidorm.

The North Korean delegation "included high ranking politicians and many architects who took lots of notes," recalls Matias Perez Such, a member of the Spanish team that hosted the delegation on a tour including a theme park, high-rise hotels and a marina.

A North Korean brochure with a map of the resort has 43 hotels identified along the beach front, as well as guest houses on an artificial lake, and camping sites.

We've matched these locations with high-resolution satellite imagery, although we are unable to verify whether they have actually been completed.

A satellite image showing the new resort. Labelled are a water park and several hotels. They all sit along the shoreline, where a beach is visible.

An aquatic park, complete with towering yellow water slides, is set back from the beach.

Further north, there's an entertainment quarter which includes buildings that are identified in the plan as a theatre, recreation and fitness centres, and a cinema.

A satellite image of the resort shows a recreation centre, cinema and a theatre. They all sit along the shoreline, where a beach is visible.

Beginning in early 2018, satellite images taken over 18 months reveal dozens of buildings springing up along the 4km (2.5 mile) stretch of coastline.

By the end of 2018, around 80% of the resort had been completed, according to research carried out by satellite imagery firm, SI Analytics, based in South Korea.

However, following this whirlwind construction effort, work on the site then appears to have paused.

Time-lapse of the Wonsan Kalma resort's construction

Construction then resumed after a June 2024 meeting with Kim and Vladimir Putin, where the Russian president said he would encourage his citizens to visit North Korea's holiday resorts.

The human cost of construction

This rapid pace of construction has raised concerns over the treatment of those working at the site.

The UN has highlighted a system of forced labour used in North Korea, in particular "shock brigades" where workers often face harsh conditions, long hours, and inadequate compensation.

James Heenan of the UN Human Rights Office in Seoul says "there are reports that the resort was built using what they call shock brigades".

"We've also seen reports that people were working 24 hours at the end to get this thing finished, which sounds like a shock brigade to me."

Getty Images The Wonsan Kalma Coastal Tourist Area in Wonsan. A series of multi-story buildings are visible in the image, which all sit along the shoreline. Getty Images
Dozens of high-rise buildings have been constructed along the beach front

The BBC has spoken to one North Korean who served in and eventually managed shock brigades.

Although Cho Chung Hui - who has subsequently defected - wasn't involved in the construction of the Wonsan resort, he recalled the brutal conditions of the brigades he oversaw.

"The principle behind these [brigades] was that no matter what, you had to complete the task, even if it cost you your life," he said.

"I saw many women who were under so much physical strain and eating so poorly that their periods stopped altogether."

Getty Images Domestic tourists ride a bicycle at Wonsan Kalma Coastal Tourist Area in Wonsan, North Korea's Kangwon Province. Getty Images
Beach front hotels were built at great speed raising concerns over conditions for construction workers

Kang Gyuri, who worked in Wonsan before fleeing to South Korea in 2023, says her cousin volunteered to work on the construction site because he saw it as a pathway to residency in the country's capital of Pyongyang, which is reserved for citizens trusted by the regime.

"He could hardly sleep. They [didn't] give him enough to eat," she said.

"The facilities are not properly organised, some people just die while working and they [the authorities] don't take responsibility if they fall and die."

Ms Kang also said residents in Wonsan were driven out from their homes as the resort project expanded, often without compensation.

Though not specific to Ms Kang's experience, BBC Verify was able to identify through satellite analysis the demolition of buildings near a main road leading towards the resort. In their place, larger tower blocks are now visible.

"They just demolish everything and build something new, especially if it's in a good location," Ms Kang said.

"The problem is, no matter how unfair it feels, people can't openly speak out or protest."

The BBC reached out to North Korean officials for comment.

Where are the foreign tourists?

North Korea has been almost entirely closed to foreign visitors with only a few highly-controlled tours permitted to visit the country in recent years.

Wonsan Kalma is seen not only as playing an important role in reviving the sanctioned country's ailing economic fortunes, but also as a means of strengthening its ties with Russia - which have grown closer following Pyongyang's military support for Moscow's war in Ukraine.

According to early planning documents seen by BBC Verify, the initial goal was to attract more than a million visitors, with foreign tourists expected to mainly come from China and Russia.

AFP Domestic tourists watch as a man uses a slide into a swimming pool at the Myongsasimni Water Park in the Wonsan Kalma Coastal Tourist Area in Wonsan, North Korea's Kangwon Province. AFP
The resort opened to North Korean tourists at the end of June

We have scanned tourist agency sites both in China and Russia for any listings promoting trips to the new resort.

None of the Chinese agencies we checked were advertising trips to Wonsan. In Russia, however, we identified three agencies offering tours that included Wonsan Kalma.

We called one of the Russian agencies in early July posing as an interested customer a week before its first scheduled departure on 7 July and were told that it had attracted 12 people from Russia.

The week-long trip to North Korea, including three days at the Wonsan resort, cost $1,800 (£1,300) - that's 60% more than the average monthly salary in Russia.

Two further trips have been scheduled for August, according to this tour operator.

Vostok Intur A screengrab of an advert for from a Russian tourism agency promoting the resort. It says a trip cost around $1,800. Vostok Intur
A week's tour of North Korea costs a Russian traveller around $1,800 (£1,300)

We contacted the other two agencies offering similar tour packages, but they declined to disclose how many people had signed up.

Andrei Lankov, an expert in Russian-North Korean relations at the Kookmin University in Seoul, said Wonsan Kalma was "highly unlikely to become seriously popular with Russian visitors".

"Russian tourists can easily go to places like Turkey, Egypt, Thailand and Vietnam, which are far superior to everything North Korea can develop," he said.

"The standards of service are higher and you are not put under constant supervision."

Additional reporting by Yaroslava Kiryukhina, Yi Ma and Cristina Cuevas. Graphics by Sally Nicholls and Erwan Rivault.

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Mother mourns 'beautiful' 12-year-old shot while watching TV during Kenya protests

12 July 2025 at 00:57
Njoki's family Bridgit Njoki stares at a camera, wearing a top with a blue collar. She stands in front of a white wall.Njoki's family
Bridgit Njoki's family said she was the pride of the household

On Monday, as anti-government protests swept across parts of Kenya, 12-year-old Bridgit Njoki sat watching television in her family's modest home.

She had no idea that the deadly clashes between these protesters and Kenya's armed police would find their way into her living room.

A single bullet pierced the roof, puncturing the ceiling and striking Njoki in the head, her mother, Lucy Ngugi, tells the BBC. Within hours, she was pronounced dead in hospital.

"She was my everything," Ms Ngugi says, while sobbing in her home just outside the capital, Nairobi. "She was all I had."

"Let me be the last mother to weep because of the death of a child. An innocent child. I wish she was even playing outside… but inside the house? Oh Lord, this is painful."

Njoki is one of the youngest victims of the violence that has rocked Kenya over the past month. According to the Kenya National Commission on Human Rights (KNCHR), almost 70 people have died and hundreds were wounded in the three major protests that have taken place since 17 June.

The protests - mainly led by young Kenyans - reflect growing discontent over issues like the cost of living, tax hikes, runaway public debt, and police brutality.

On 7 July, the day Njoki died, the authorities barricaded major roads in preparation for the demonstrations.

Video evidence shows the police firing tear gas, and in some cases, live rounds in residential areas where protesters had regrouped.

"The bullet came over the roof of the house. It penetrated into the ceiling, right where Njoki was seated on a chair," says Njoki's grandmother, Margaret Njeri.

"Immediately, her mother grabbed her and came screaming to my home: 'Mum, my child has been shot!' I couldn't even hold the child."

A close-up photo shows a hole in a sheet of iron
The bullet punctured the family's corrugated iron roof

The family had thought they were far from the violent clashes, given they lived in Ndumberi, a village nearly two kilometres (1.2 miles) from a main road.

"I was sure it was a bullet," says Njoki's mother. "The bang that hit the roof was so loud. Very loud."

The police have dismissed the family's claims, insisting a bullet couldn't travel from the main road to their house. But Njoki's lifeless body told a different story.

A report from the 12-year-old's post-mortem examination says doctors retrieved a bullet from her body, and that her head injury was "consistent with a gunshot".

Njoki had been a Grade 7 student at Benson Njau School in Ting'ang'a, a nearby village. As the family's firstborn, she was a caretaker, helper, and the pride of the household.

"She was always number one in her class," her grandmother says. "So obedient, so specific, so neat.

"Even in the way she spoke. She was just a very good girl. She loved serving in church. She helped her siblings. She cooked for me. She was everything."

Njoki's mother describes her as "a beautiful girl, a charming girl, who had so many dreams".

Her father is crushed, unable to speak. Her siblings are also silent. Grief hangs like a shroud in the house, while Njoki's chair sits empty.

The deaths of dozens like Njoki have drawn international condemnation.

The UN said it was deeply troubled by the killings and criticised the Kenyan police for using "lethal ammunition" against protesters.

This all feels like a repeat of last year, when according to the KNCHR, more than 50 died in a police crackdown on months of anti-government protests.

President Ruto has taken a particularly hard-line stance this time.

In a national address following the 7 July protests, in which 38 people were killed, according to the state-run human rights commission, Ruto said: "Anyone caught burning another person's business or property should be shot in the leg, hospitalised and later taken to court. Don't kill them, but ensure their legs are broken."

Ruto has accused political rivals of inciting violence in a bid to unseat him illegally, but the president's opponents have dismissed this allegation.

Njoki's mother and father sit in front of a bright blue wall - her mother wears a blue hoody and father wears a beige blazer with a checked shirt.
Njoki's father and mother are now calling for peace and justice

Meanwhile, back in Ndumberi, Njoki's family are simply calling for an end to the brutality.

"I'll bury Njoki, but I'll never forget the Saba Saba Day [7 July]. Let Njoki be the last sacrifice of these protests," her mother says.

The ongoing anti-government protest movement has reshaped Kenyan politics. It has demanded transparency, empathy and a listening ear. But it has also paid in blood.

And as the uprising continues, Njoki's name and those of many others lost have become a symbol - of innocence, state overreach, and a lack of accountability.

"Let's not burn our country. Let's have dialogue. Let's talk. We are brothers and sisters, I'm begging our government - let this not happen to any other parent," Njoki's mother says.

"Don't let another child die like Njoki."

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Arizona resident dies from plague, health officials say

13 July 2025 at 03:38
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention/Getty Images A bubonic plague smear shows the presence of Yersinia pestis bacteria which causes the plagueCenters for Disease Control and Prevention/Getty Images

A resident of Arizona has died from pneumonic plague, health officials confirmed on Friday.

This was the first recorded death from the disease in the county since 2007, Coconino County Health and Human Services reported. In that case, a person had an interaction with a dead animal infected with the disease.

Plague, known as the "Black Death" in the 14th century, killed up to half of Europe's population. It is now rare in humans and can be treated with antibiotics.

An average of seven human plague cases are reported each year in the US, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says.

Coconino County government said the risk to the public of exposure remains low.

"Our hearts go out to the family and friends of the deceased," Coconino County Board of Supervisors Chair Patrice Horstman said in a statement. "We are keeping them in our thoughts during this difficult time. Out of respect for the family, no additional information about the death will be released."

Pneumonic plague is a severe lung infection caused by the Yersinia pestis bacterium.

There are different forms of plague, such as bubonic plague, which is the most common and is caused by the bite of an infected flea. Pneumonic plague, which spreads to the lungs from other untreated forms of plague, is the most serious and is usually rare.

Symptoms of the bubonic plague in humans typically appear within two to eight days after exposure and may include fever, chills, headache, weakness, and swollen lymph nodes.

Plague is no longer found in the UK and the chance of it occurring in a person returning to the country is "very low", the government says.

Prevention measures include using a DEET-based insect repellent to protect against flea bites, avoiding contact with dead animals, infected tissues or materials, and avoiding close contact with symptomatic patients and crowded areas where cases have been recently reported.

Canada's Carney talked tough on Trump - now some say he's backing down

12 July 2025 at 07:05
PA Media Canada's Prime Minister Mark Carney walks behind US President Donald Trump as they attend a family photo session during the G7 summit in Kananaskis, Alberta. Both wear dark suits, and Carney smiles and gestures while Trump frowns slightly. PA Media

It's another curveball in the Canada-US trade war - a new missive by US Donald Trump threatening an unexpected 35% tariff on Canadian goods starting next month.

It came as the two countries engage in intense trade talks meant to produce a new deal in the coming days, and what the latest tariff threat means for these negotiations is unclear.

But Canada's new prime minister, Mark Carney, is beginning to face questions over whether he is able to stand up to Trump and secure the fair deal for Canada he promised.

Carney won April's general election vowing to keep his "elbows up" in the face of US threats, leaning on a popular ice hockey metaphor used to describe an assertive and confrontational style of play.

But Canada's recent concessions to Trump appear to have yielded, to date, little result.

The latest came in late June, when Canada scrapped a Digital Services Tax (DST) it had planned to impose on big tech companies after Trump threatened to end negotiations over the policy.

The White House said that Canada "caved" to its demands, and the move prompted debate in Canada.

Canadian commentator Robyn Urback wrote: "Maybe Prime Minister Mark Carney's elbows were getting tired."

She said government's elbows up and down approach to negotiations so far could be characterised as a "chicken dance".

Meanwhile, Blayne Haggart, a professor of political science at Brock University, argued in a recent opinion piece in The Globe and Mail newspaper that: "Nothing about Carney's US strategy, particularly his pursuit of a 'comprehensive' trade and security agreement, makes a lick of sense."

Walking back on the DST has achieved "less than nothing", he said.

Still many are willing to give Carney more time, and polls suggest his government maintains strong support.

Roland Paris, a former adviser to Ottawa on Canada-US relations, told the BBC that it is too early to say whether Canada has conceded things prematurely.

"Much will depend on the final agreement," he said.

But Mr Paris said it's clear Trump drives a hard bargain.

"If, in the end, Carney appears to have capitulated to Trump and we're left with a bad deal, he will pay a political price at home," he said.

Before the walk back on the DST, Canada sought to appease the president by pledging early this year C$1.3bn to enhance security at the shared border and appointing a "fentanyl czar" over Trump's claims the drug was flooding over the boundary.

Still, in his Thursday letter announcing the latest tariff, Trump again warned Canada over the drug.

Carney also didn't respond with further counter measures when the president doubled tariffs on steel and aluminium last month.

The prime minister responded to the new threat of a 35% tariffs by 1 August saying: "Throughout the current trade negotiations with the United States, the Canadian government has steadfastly defended our workers and businesses."

He said Canada will continue negotiating, with next month as the now-revised deadline for an agreement. (The two countries had previously set a 21 July time limit)

The good news for Canada is that the new tariff rate will not apply - at least for now - to goods under the US-Mexico-Canada free trade agreement, which covers a vast majority of the cross-border trade.

President Trump has also sent similar notes to more than 20 countries as part of his plan to carve out new agreements with America's trade partners.

Domestically, Canadians across political stripes remain united against Trump's tariffs.

Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre said on Thursday his party is ready to do everything it can "to secure the best deal for Canada", while British Columbia Premier David Eby said Trump's letter is "one more reminder of why Canadians need to come together".

And experts note there may be more to the ongoing negotiations than meets the eye.

Despite having a smaller economy than the US, it still has some leverage, argued Fen Hampson, a professor of international affairs at Carleton University and expert on international negotiations.

"It's important to remember that it is American consumers who are going to pay the tariffs, not us," he said.

Many US-based manufacturers also rely on Canadian products like steel and aluminium, which are currently subject to a steep 50% tariff.

"You can't judge the outcome of negotiations by the last move or the concession that's made," Prof Hampson noted. "You can only judge it by its outcome."

Experts also point to Carney's efforts to reduce reliance on the US - including by signing an arms deal with the European Union - and to fast-track major projects and remove domestic trade barriers.

Pressed Friday on Trump's latest threat, Canada's industry minister Melanie Joly said the government "does not negotiate in public".

And she denied that Canada isn't standing up to Trump.

"We're dealing with a very unpredictable US administration," she said, and "we're not the only ones".

Med Sea heatwave might feel nice for holiday swimming but there's a catch

12 July 2025 at 08:33
Getty Images A red and blue parasol on a beach next to the sea, which is at the top of the picture. Two beachgoers are resting in the shade under the blue parasol on the right.Getty Images
Shading from the midday Sun during a recent heatwave in southern France

Warmer water at the seaside might sound nice for your holiday dip, but recent ocean heat in the Mediterranean Sea has been so intense that scientists fear potentially devastating consequences for marine life.

The temperature of the sea surface regularly passed 30C off the coast of Majorca and elsewhere in late June and early July, in places six or seven degrees above usual.

That's probably warmer than your local leisure centre swimming pool.

It has been the western Med's most extreme marine heatwave ever recorded for the time of year, affecting large areas of the sea for weeks on end.

The heat appears to be cooling off, but some species simply struggle to cope with such prolonged and intense warmth, with potential knock-on effects for fish stocks.

To give you some idea of these temperatures, most leisure centre swimming pools are heated to roughly 28C. Competitive swimming pools are slightly cooler at 25-28C, World Aquatics says.

Children's pools are a bit warmer, recommended at 29-31C or 30-32C for babies, according to the Swimming Teachers' Association.

Such balmy temperatures might sound attractive, but they can pose hidden threats. Harmful bacteria and algae can often spread more easily in warmer seawater, which isn't treated with cleaning chemicals like your local pool.

Map showing the average sea surface temperature across the Mediterranean Sea on 6 July. Some areas exceeded 30C on 6 July, marked by dark reds off the coast of Majorca and south-west Italy. Below the map is a graph showing daily sea temperature highs from a measurement buoy off Majorca. Temperatures exceeded 30C in late June, the earliest date on record to pass that mark.

Sea temperatures of 30C or above are not unprecedented in the Med in late summer.

But they are highly unusual for June, according to data from the European Copernicus climate service, Mercator Ocean International, and measurements at Spanish ports.

"What is different this year is that 30C sea temperatures have arrived much earlier, and that means that we can expect the summer to be more intense and longer," said Marta Marcos, associate professor at the University of the Balearic Islands in Spain.

"I grew up here, so we are used to heatwaves, but this has become more and more common and intense."

"We're all very, very surprised at the magnitude of this heatwave," added Aida Alvera-Azcárate, an oceanographer at the University of Liege in Belgium.

"It's a matter of high concern, but this is something we can expect to be happening again in the future."

Map showing categories of marine heatwave across Europe on 6 July. Most of the Mediterranean is in a marine heatwave of some kind. In the east, there is a "moderate" marine heatwave in many places, marked by yellows. Most of the west is in a "strong", "severe" or even "extreme" heatwave, marked by oranges and dark reds.

Marine heatwaves are becoming more intense and longer-lasting as humanity continues to release planet-warming gases into our atmosphere, principally by burning coal, oil and gas.

In fact, the number of days of extreme sea surface heat globally has tripled over the past 80 years, according to research published earlier this year.

"Global warming is the main driver of marine heat waves… it's essentially transferring heat from the atmosphere to the ocean. It's very simple," said Dr Marcos.

The Mediterranean is particularly vulnerable because it's a bit like a bathtub, largely surrounded by continents rather than open ocean.

That means water cannot escape easily, so its surface heats up quickly in the presence of warm air, sunny skies and light winds - as happened in June.

Map showing the sea surface temperature across the Mediterranean Sea on 30 June compared with the long-term average for that day. Almost all of the Med was warmer than usual, marked by yellows, oranges and reds. Only small areas of the eastern Med were cooler than usual, marked by light blues. Some places, like off the south coast of France, were more than 6C above average, shown by dark reds. Below the map is a graph showing daily average sea surface temperature across the whole of the western Med in 2025 in red versus other years in grey. There is a big spike in June, with average temperatures across the region reaching 3.7C above usual for the time of year, the highest figure ever recorded.

For that reason, the Med is "a climate change hotspot" said Karina von Schuckmann of Mercator Ocean International, a non-profit research organisation.

The heat peaked as June turned to July, after which stronger winds allowed deeper, cooler waters to mix with the warm surface above and bring temperatures down.

But temperatures remain above average and there could be consequences for marine life that we don't yet know about.

Most life has a temperature threshold beyond which it can't survive, though it varies a lot between species and individuals.

But sea creatures can also suffer from prolonged heat exposure, which essentially drains their energy through the summer to a point where they can no longer cope.

"I remember four years ago diving in September at the end of summer, we found skeletons of many, many, many populations," said Emma Cebrian, an ecologist at the Centre for Advanced Studies of Blanes in Spain.

Seaweeds and seagrasses act a bit like the forests of the Mediterranean Sea, home to hundreds of species, as well as locking up planet-warming carbon dioxide.

"Some of them are well adapted to typical Mediterranean warm temperatures, but actually they often cannot withstand marine heatwave conditions, which are becoming more extreme and widespread," said Dr Cebrian.

Getty Images About 50 fish swim in deep blue ocean waters above a dark green seagrass meadow.Getty Images
Seagrasses like Posidonia support large numbers of fish species, providing food and shelter

The heat can also cause what ecologists call "sub-lethal effects", where species essentially go into survival mode and don't reproduce.

"If we start to see ecological impacts, there will almost certainly be impacts on human societies [including] losses of fisheries," warned Dan Smale, senior research fellow at the Marine Biological Association in Plymouth.

"We'll have to wait and see, really, but because the temperatures are so high this early in the summer, it is really alarming."

The fast-warming Med is "a canary in the coal mine for climate change and marine ecosystems," he added.

Excessive ocean heat can also supercharge extreme weather.

Warmer seas mean extra evaporation, adding to the moisture in the atmosphere that can fuel extreme rainfall.

If other conditions are right, that can lead to devastating flooding, as happened in Libya in 2023 and Valencia in 2024.

EPA Damage at the end of a street. In the foreground there is a large pile of muddy rubble. In the background there are more than a dozen people in high-visibility or white protective clothing cleaning up. On the left is a yellow truck and on the right is an orange digger. EPA
The Valencia floods killed more than 200 people and destroyed large areas of the city

And warmer waters can reduce the cooling effect that coastal populations would usually get from the sea breeze.

That could make things very uncomfortable if there's another heatwave later in the summer, Dr Marcos warned.

"I'm pretty sure that's going to be horrible."

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US has resumed military supplies to Ukraine, Zelensky says

12 July 2025 at 06:56
Reuters Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky stands, visible above the shoulders dressed in a black shirt, his dark hair and beard short and face serious. Behind him is a camouflage-painted missile defence system.Reuters
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky pictured in a file photo with a US Patriot defence system

US President Donald Trump has said he will send weapons, including Patriot air defence systems, for Ukraine via Nato.

Trump told NBC News that in a new deal, "we're going to be sending Patriots to Nato, and then Nato will distribute that", adding that Nato would pay for the weapons.

His announcement came after Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky spoke of having a "positive dialogue" with Trump on ensuring that arms arrived on time, particularly air defence systems.

Zelensky said he had asked for 10 Patriot systems, after a surge in Russian drone and missile attacks on Ukrainian cities in the past week.

Speaking in Rome on Thursday, the Ukrainian leader said Germany was ready to pay for two of the Patriots and Norway for one, while other European partners were also prepared to help.

After a phone-call with Russia's Vladimir Putin last week, Trump said he was "not happy" that progress had not been made towards ending the war, and he has since complained that Putin's "very nice" attitude turned out to be meaningless.

During his interview with NBC News, Trump said he would make a "major statement" on Russia on Monday, but did not say what it would be about.

He said "Nato is going to reimburse the full cost" for the weapons sent on to Ukraine. Nato is funded through the contributions of its members, including the US.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio told reporters on Friday that he had urged countries including Germany and Spain to hand over some of their existing Patriot batteries, as they could reach Ukraine faster.

"We have continued to encourage our Nato allies to provide those weapons... since they have them in their stocks, then we can enter into financial agreements... where they can purchase the replacements."

The US defence department halted some shipments of critical weapons last week, raising concerns in Kyiv that its air defences could run low in a matter of months.

Among the armaments reported to have been placed on pause were Patriot interceptor missiles and precision artillery shells.

Then, as Ukraine was pounded by record numbers of drone attacks this week, Trump said more weapons would be sent: "We have to... They're getting hit very hard now."

Zelensky had appealed for the shipments to resume, describing the Patriot systems as "real protectors of life".

On Tuesday night, Ukraine was hit by a record 728 drones, and the Ukrainian president warned that Russia wanted to increase that to 1,000.

Heat map showing attacks on Ukraine

June saw the highest monthly civilian casualties in Ukraine in three years, with 232 people killed and more than 1,300 injured, according to the UN.

Since re-entering the White House in January, Trump has pushed to scale back US support for Ukraine.

The US was the biggest source of military aid to Ukraine between the start of 2022 and the end of 2024, giving $69bn (£54.6bn) in that time period, according to German think tank the Kiel Institute.

Trump has also pressed Nato allies to pledge more of their GDP to the security alliance. Last year, all European Nato members pledged to spend 2% of GDP on defence.

Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. The US has been urging the two countries to reach an agreement to end the war.

Rubio told reporters that he and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov had a "frank" conversation on the sidelines of a meeting in Malaysia on Thursday.

Rubio echoed Trump's "frustration at the lack of progress at peace talks", including "disappointment that there has not been more flexibility on the Russian side to bring about an end to this conflict".

He said the two had shared some new ideas about how the conflict could conclude, which he would take back to Trump.

Rubio declined to elaborate on what Trump said would be a "major" announcement about Russia on Monday.

The mushroom killer was obsessed with true crime. Now true crime fans are obsessed with her

13 July 2025 at 05:11
Watch: Australia’s mushroom murder case... in under two minutes

For years, from behind a computer screen, Erin Patterson built up a reputation in an online true crime community as a "super sleuth".

Today, she herself has become a true crime obsession.

When three people died – and another fell gravely ill - after eating toxic-mushroom-laced beef Wellingtons at her home in rural Victoria two years ago, her entire life was put under a microscope.

Journalists have descended from around the world to cover her lengthy murder trial, spectators have queued daily to nab a spot in the courtroom, and thousands of people have picked apart details of the case online.

But, despite a jury earlier this week finding her guilty on all charges, the frenzy of speculation and depth of fascination has only intensified.

"It has shades of Macbeth," criminal psychologist Tim Watson-Munro told the BBC.

Getty Images Members of the media are seen outside the Latrobe Valley Magistrates' Court in Morwell on July 7Getty Images
The mushroom murder trial was the biggest case in recent history

It was in one of Australia's smallest courtrooms that its biggest trial in recent history took place.

Over 11 weeks, seven documentary-making teams cast their lens on the tiny town of Morwell. Podcasters here were a dime a dozen. Journalists vied for the six seats reserved for media inside the court each day. Even one of Australia's best-loved authors, Helen Garner, frequently dropped by the Latrobe Valley Law Courts, fuelling rumours that she is preparing to write another best-seller.

Waiting with the sea of tripods outside the building most mornings of the trial was a queue of camp chairs.

Come rain, frost or fog, court watchers – predominantly women, often rugged up in beanies and encased in sleeping bags – watched for the moment the glass doors would open.

Once inside, they would lay a line of belongings – scarves, water bottles, notepads, bags – outside the courtroom entry to reserve their spot.

A court sketch of Erin Patterson wearing a purple shirt
The Patterson trial heard from more than 50 witnesses

Tammy Egglestone commuted for more than an hour to reach Morwell most days of the trial. "I'm a bit of a true crime fanatic," she explains.

She was in court when it heard evidence that Patterson was once just like her.

Patterson had been an active member in a Facebook group focussed on the crimes of Keli Lane, a woman who was found guilty of killing her two-day-old daughter in one of Australia's most notorious cases.

In 2018, Lane became the subject of a major podcast after writing to a journalist claiming to have been wrongly convicted and begging her to investigate.

At Patterson's trial, one of her online friends Christine Hunt said she was renowned among her peers for her nimble researching and tech skills.

"She was a bit of a super sleuth," she said. "She was highly regarded in that group."

Getty Images A man taking a selfie in a Melbourne laneway in front of a mural of Erin Patterson.Getty Images
A Melbourne lane with a mural of Erin Patterson

But as her case unfolded in Morwell, Patterson was also put on trial in the court of public opinion.

She became water-cooler talk in workplaces around the country, gossip among friend groups, and the ultimate topic of debate online.

Thousands of people theorised over a motive for the crime, provided commentary on bits of evidence, and even alleged corrupt forces were behind the case – much of the discussion unfounded, almost all of it in breach of laws designed to give defendants a fair trial.

Memes filled social media feeds. On Google Maps, someone created a restaurant listing at Patterson's home address. Others shared trial bingo cards they had created for those following it closely.

Throughout the week the jury was considering their verdict, sequestered in a hotel to protect them from the maelstrom, the question everyone had was: what were they thinking?

"What are they doing in there?" one lawyer was overheard asking in a Morwell café on day four of deliberations.

Tammy Egglestone standing outside the courthouse
Ms Egglestone has spent hours commuting to see the trial evidence in person

With jury members bound by strict secrecy requirements, we will never know.

"In the US, they can interview jurors after a trial," criminal psychologist Tim Watson-Munro told the BBC. "We can't get into the heads of jurors in Australia… so it's really hard to know what they're thinking has been and why they've come to that conclusion."

That leaves a massive vacuum for members of the public to fill with their speculation.

People like Ms Egglestone pondered: if the poisoning was intended to kill, wouldn't Patterson have planned and executed it better?

"I've come in here [as] Switzerland," Ms Egglestone clarified, calling the discourse around the case "very pitchforky".

"You know, [it's] she's guilty, she's guilty, she's guilty.

"And a lot of them are using hindsight reasoning. 'If I was in that situation, I wouldn't do this, this and this.' Well, you don't know what you would do in that situation."

But people like her were drowned out by the hordes proclaiming Patterson guilty.

Many said it was her lies that convinced them. Some claimed the evidence showed a clear lack of empathy and concern for those who died.

"What really gave her away was wearing white pants when she had 'gastro' and needed to go to hospital for it!" one person posted, referring to CCTV footage of her movements in the days after the lunch, which was played at the trial.

Watch: CCTV and audio shown to court in mushroom trial

Already, the case has inspired a television special, a silver screen drama series, a bevy of podcasts, several documentaries and a handful of books.

"It has those typical cliché things that make true crime sell," Ms Egglestone said, explaining why she and flocks of others have become obsessed with the case.

"The fact that she did take out family members... [she's] white, female, financially stable, you know. And they're all church people."

For David Peters, seemingly benign circumstances surrounding the crime – and the fact it was in his local area – drew him in: "The fact that it was a family sitting down to do something you would consider to be safe - have a meal - and then the consequences of that meal..."

Several people tell the BBC the case reminds them of the frenzy over Lindy Chamberlain's notorious trial in 1982. She was falsely convicted of murder after her infant daughter Azaria was taken from an outback campsite by a dingo.

It's no coincidence that both of those cases centre around women, criminology researcher Brandy Cochrane tells the BBC.

The world has long been fascinated by women who kill – in no small part because it contradicts their traditional "caring" gender role, they explain.

Those stereotypes also cast a shadow on Patterson's time in court.

EPA The front cover of The Australian newspaper with coverage of Erin Patterson's verdict on the front page is displayed in a newsagent in Morwell.EPA

"She's expected to act in a particular way, and she's not," says Dr Cochrane, a lecturer at Victoria University.

"It's like, 'Oh, obviously she's guilty, she's not crying the whole time' or 'Obviously she's guilty, she's lied about this'. The legal system in and of itself treats women very differently."

Away from the ghoulish spectre of the trial, there's anger – albeit dwindling – among the communities where the victims are from over the way the case has been dissected, local councillor Nathan Hersey tells the BBC.

Don and Gail Patterson and Heather Wilkinson were respected and adored by many in the South Gippsland region, he says, but it feels like they've been forgotten.

"This has been an extremely high-profile case that's brought a lot of attention, often unwanted through to our local community.

"[And] some people haven't had that humanity… they've certainly lost focus that for people, there is a loss, there is grief."

'Was this avoidable?': Families of Air India crash victims seek answers

12 July 2025 at 18:47
BBC Inayat Syed, 49, with his wife Nafeesa, along with their son and daughterBBC

For days, Imtiyaz Ali had been anxiously awaiting the findings of a preliminary report into last month's Air India crash that killed his brother, sister-in-law, and their two young children.

When the report was finally released early on Saturday in India, he read it carefully - only to be disappointed by what he said "reads like a product description".

"Other than the pilots' final conversation, there's nothing in it that really points to what caused the crash."

He hopes more details will be made public in the months to come.

"This matters to us," Ali said. "We want to know exactly what happened. It won't change anything for us now, we continue grieving - just as we have since that day. But at least we'll have some answers."

Javid Ali, hair short and wearing a brown button-down shirt, stands holding his daughter Amani, wearing a dress, beside his wife Maryam Ali, wearing a belted dress, glasses, and her dark hair short. Their son Zayn stands in front of them, Javid's arm around him.
Javid and Maryam Ali with their children Zayn and Amani, who died in the crash

The London-bound Air India flight 171 crashed into a suburban neighbourhood in the western Indian city of Ahmedabad shortly after take-off on 12 June, killing 241 of the 242 people on board and 19 others on the ground.

A preliminary investigative report released on Saturday in India said fuel to the engines of the plane cut off just seconds after take-off. The circumstances around how or why that happened remain unclear.

The report said that in recovered cockpit voice recordings, one of the pilots can be heard asking "why did you cut off?" - to which the other pilot replied he "did not do so".

A final report into the crash is expected in 12 months.

Shweta Parihar, 41, also wants answers. Her husband, Abhinav Parishar, 43, was on his way back to London. He was meant to fly later in the month but decided to come home early and ended up on the ill-fated flight.

She laments that no investigation will ever bring her husband back.

"For those of us that have lost loved ones, we've lost them, they are not coming back," she said.

"What will they do in the investigation, tell us how it happened? The life of how many people, 250 passengers, what will they say, sorry? Everything is done, everything is finished."

Parihar becomes emotional when she talks about the impact of the loss on her 11-year-old son Vihaan.

"He misses his dad badly," she said tearfully. Vihaan tells her that he won't fly Air India ever again.

A family photo with Shweta Parihar and her husband, Abhinav Parishar, and their son Vihaan
Abhinav and Shweta Parihar with their son Vihaan

Badasab Syed, 59, lost his brother, sister-in-law, and their two children in the crash.

He was hoping for answers from the preliminary report, but after watching the news, said he was left with more questions.

"The report mentions the pilots discussing who turned off fuel and a possible issue with the fuel control switch. We don't know, what does that mean? Was this avoidable?"

Inayat Syed, 49, with his wife Nafeesa, along with their son and daughter
Inayat and Nafeesa Syed pictured with their son and daughter

Badasab Syed says his younger brother, Inayat Syed, 49 was the heart of the family. Losing him, his wife and children, has shattered the entire family. The grief has been especially difficult on his 83-year-old mother, Bibi Sab.

"Losing her son and grandchildren has made her weak. I think she is not able to even tell us how she feels," he said.

Heatwave peaks at 33C as whole of UK swelters

13 July 2025 at 04:59
PA Media A woman wearing a black, white, yellow, and orange striped jumpsuit holds an umbrella in the sun. A man wearing a grey shirt and white shorts holds her hand and walks with her.PA Media

Northern Ireland and Scotland will see temperatures soar as the UK's third heatwave of the year spreads across the country.

Scotland is likely to see its warmest day of the year with temperatures of up to 31C. Northern Ireland could potentially the mercury rise above 29.5C - the highest recorded temperature so far this year.

For England and Wales, temperatures are expected to be widely in the high 20s to low 30s with the south-west Midlands and south-east Wales predicted to see the hottest temperatures.

However, for eastern parts of England, an easterly breeze will bring slightly cooler temperatures though most areas will still meet heatwave thresholds.

On Friday, Astwood Bank in the West Midlands recorded the highest temperature of 34.7C.

Amber heat health alerts for southern England, the Midlands, and East Anglia will remain in place until Monday, the UK Health Security Agency said.

Less severe yellow warnings remain in place for northern England, while Scotland and Northern Ireland face warnings of wildfires on Saturday and Sunday.

Yellow weather alerts are issued during periods that are only likely to affect those who are particularly vulnerable, such as the elderly, and those with existing health conditions.

Amber alerts are issued in situations that could put the whole population at risk.

For the thousands expected to attend the Wimbledon finals this weekend, temperatures in south-west London will remain high on Saturday and are expected to reach 30C, possibly 32C in some areas, according the Met Office.

Sunday will see a slight dip to 29C in daytime highs, but the heat will remain with a chance of some places around London seeing 30C or above.

Getty Images Tennis player Aryna Sabalenka holds ice on her head and covers herself with a towel during the Ladies' Singles semi-final at Wimbledon on 10 July 2025 in London, England.Getty Images
World number one Aryna Sabalenka said conditions were "super hot" during her semi-final on Thursday

This year, Wimbledon has faced some of the hottest temperatures in its 148-year history and has a heat rule in place for all singles matches.

The men's singles semi-final on Friday between Carlos Alcaraz and Taylor Fritz was stopped twice in less than five minutes due to fans in the crowd requiring medical attention.

Temperatures on Centre Court reached a sweltering 32C on Friday.

Tournament organisers have added more free water refill points on the grounds and increased reminders for fans to take sun precautions and seek shade.

Getty Images Children splash through cooling waters of the fountains in Leicester Square, on 11 July 2025, in London, England.Getty Images

Fire chiefs have also warned people of the increased risk of drowning when trying to keep cool, urging parents to supervise their children at all times around the water.

Dry and hot conditions also make wildfires a crucial concern, with the risk currently rated at "severe" in London by the Natural Hazards Partnership.

"Our experience tells us that wildfires can start in an instant and escalate rapidly. That's why we're asking everyone to stay alert and act responsibly," the National Fire Chiefs Council (NFCC) chairman Phil Garrigan said.

National Rail has warned commuters of possible disruption to travel this weekend as overhead power lines and rails could be affected by the heat.

On Friday, more than seven million people across England and Wales were affected by hosepipe bans, restricting activities including watering of gardens, cleaning cars and filling paddling pools.

The heatwave will be over for most on Monday as cooler Atlantic air spreads, bringing cloud and some showers to northern and western areas.

Scientists warn that extreme weather conditions are made more likely as a result of manmade climate change.

【CDT关注】民间档案馆|刘晓波去世八周年:重温他留给中国人的精神遗产

13 July 2025 at 06:00
CDT 档案卡
标题:刘晓波去世八周年:重温他留给中国人的精神遗产
作者:张彦
发表日期:2025.7.13
来源:中国民间档案馆
主题归类:刘晓波
CDS收藏:人物馆
版权说明:该作品版权归原作者所有。中国数字时代仅对原作进行存档,以对抗中国的网络审查。详细版权说明

CDT编辑注:中国民间档案馆(China Unofficial Archives)是前驻华记者、普利策新闻奖得主张彦(Ian Johnson)创办的公益组织,致力于收集、保存和传播被审查、被压制的中国民间历史,2023年12月在美国成立。网站为中英双语,馆藏资料免费向公众开放。

2025年7月13日是刘晓波逝世八周年的纪念日。本文是2018年张彦在柏林锡安教堂纪念刘晓波逝世一周年时所发表的演讲,作者近期又进行了补充。时至今日,刘晓波在中国历史上的重要性与象征意义不仅没有减弱,反而愈加凸显。这不仅是因为他留在中国并坚持抗争的勇气,更因为他对自我的深刻反省——一个曾颇为轻狂自负的知识分子,最终成长为一个思想者,并起而行之,示范给生活在专制体制下的人们,该如何诚实而有尊严地度过一生。

作者:张彦

1898年,一些中国最杰出的知识分子与光绪皇帝结盟,这位年轻的统治者试图“变法”以巩固自己的地位,改革触及当时的政治、经济和教育等各个层面。但朝廷顽固的保守势力迅速反击,变法失败,光绪被废黜,他的幕僚纷纷亡命天涯。

然而,并不是所有人都踏上了逃亡之路,其中一个人就是谭嗣同——一位祖籍湖南浏阳的年轻士子。谭嗣同知道留在北京意味着死亡,但他认为,真正的“变法”没有不流血而能成功的,“有之,请从嗣同始!”

谭嗣同是他那一代人中最优秀的学问家之一。他曾著《仁学》,批判“天不变,道亦不变”的顽固思想,论证改变社会的政治理想。他创办过学校、报纸,和当时有维新思想的官员和读书人广泛结交。在危险逼近的时刻,他完全有理由,也有条件保住自己,以图将来,继续投身变革的事业。但他终究决定留下来:挺身面对死亡,以自己的牺牲来唤醒当时沉睡中的民众。

在北京菜市口刑场被斩首前,谭嗣同轻声说出了一个半世纪以来,中国在建立一个现代化多元国家所作的努力中,广为人知的名言:“有心杀贼,无力回天,死得其所,快哉快哉!”

自从刘晓波2017年因癌症在囚禁中去世,我经常想起谭嗣同的命运。癌症和刽子手的刀不是一回事,但跨越120年,他们两人的死,仍有相通之处。和谭嗣同投身“变法”一样,刘晓波也为一项最终似乎以无望收场的事业付出了沉重代价——这就是1989年的天安门抗议运动。时间流逝,历史证明了谭嗣同无罪;而我不禁想,历史能不能也给刘晓波这样一个交代?

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1989年天安门运动爆发时,刘晓波人在国外,但选择了回到中国,后来他成为著名的“天安门四君子”之一。而当“六四”血腥镇压开始,他锒铛入狱之后,虽然还有机会离开中国,但他依然再次选择留下。后来,是更严厉的监禁,他依然决定留下,继续抗争。和1989年的天安门不一样,他所冒的风险,不再是军队的立刻到来,而是今天所有挑战国家权力的人可能面临的牢狱之灾。

于刘晓波而言,这不是一个求死的决定,而是一种对命运毫不回避、甘愿领受的承担。

讽刺的是,尽管随着时间的推移,他的思想变得更为温和、内省,他所遭受的打压却变本加厉。在2024年出版的刘晓波传记《我没有敌人:刘晓波的生平和遗产》一书中,作者林培瑞与吴大志指出,刘晓波曾是一个充满激情、语言尖锐、喜欢折腾出“大动静”的浪漫主义者。早年的他,也时常疏远朋友,沉溺于一些戏剧性的表达。年轻时的他,在某种意义上也像谭嗣同,一直试图用自己的声音震醒国民。

1990年代,在反复失去自由的生活中,他一直没有停止严厉的自我反省。而这种省思促成了他思想与行为的改变。在一篇文章中,他曾坦承

“现在,回头仔细检视才发现,我的整个青春期生长于文化沙漠之中,我所赖以写作的文化滋养,除了仇恨、暴力、狂妄,就是说谎、无赖、犬儒,这些党文化的毒素喂养了整整几代人,我便是其中之一。”

这种省思并不意味着他放弃抗争的道路,而是将注意力转向更现实的路径。他依然支持全盘西化,但也开始强调一个极具儒家色彩的观念:通过个体的生活与行为来推动社会变革。他曾经说过,中国人需要认真检视“我们这种不民主的生活方式”,并且“有意识地努力把民主价值观带到我们自己的个人关系中(老师与学生、父亲与儿子、丈夫与妻子、朋友之间)”。

他也关注普通人面临的问题——那些被他的朋友、作家王小波称之为“沉默的大多数”——他们不仅是政治异议者,还有权利被剥夺的性少数人群,童工、农民以及工人。

他将注意力投向沉默的大多数,但起初并不清楚该如何着手。1990年代,他仍延续着传统异议者的模式,不断发起请愿、发表声明,但收效甚微,几乎只换来再次入狱。1999年,他三年劳教期满获释。与此同时,一个面向更广大群体的新平台在中国出现,那就是互联网。

当时的中国互联网远未受到今日如此严密的审查,觉醒的公民在网上揭露社会弊病,引发公共关注。刘晓波则是这一浪潮中最具思想力的倡导者与分析者之一。他结识并连接了许多草根的维权者,也经常撰文支持他们的行动。

这也是“维权运动”最活跃的时期之一——公民尝试通过互联网,阻击党权的无度扩张。而其行动逻辑简单明了:发现不公,揭发真相,借助公众舆论施压,逼迫政府回应。

这些理念受到崔卫平翻译的哈维尔与米奇尼克著作的影响。这些作品无法在官方出版,却在网络上广泛传播,激发了许多中国人相信,变革可以通过日常生活、践行常识,以去中心化与渐进的方式实现。刘晓波的文章回应了这些理念。他呼吁中国人“有尊严地过一种诚实的生活”(源于哈维尔),并主张“从边缘渗透至中心”(来自米奇尼克)。

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最终,给刘晓波带来又一场牢狱之灾的,却是一项当时对他而言,已属“非典型”的行动。2005年,一些中国的知识分子开始酝酿一份政治宣言,希望对维权运动的核心价值观予以一个总结。2008年,他们决意发布一份宪章,借用捷克的《七七宪章》,命名为《零八宪章》。刘晓波起初并不热衷于再参与签名活动,但当“天安门母亲”丁子霖教授找到他,希望他负责编辑与组织签署时,他答应了。

他不仅润色了宪章文本,还凭借自身的声誉与信用,成功动员了很多人参与署名。第一批有303位知识分子与行动者参与联署。彼时的他,知道自己要冒极大的风险——作为中国最知名的异见人士之一,他发布宪章后,必然会成为当局的重点打击对象。2008年12月8日,警方将他从家中蒙眼带走。次日,《零八宪章》在网上发布,部分签署人被短暂拘捕,但刘晓波被正式逮捕,自此再未获得自由。

刘晓波终究于2017年7月13日去世。他去世的过程,我们或许永远无法完全知晓。但可以确定的是,刘晓波之死,很可能与政府渎职和回避责任有关。

一位多年与刘晓波家人保持联系的朋友透露,直到2017年6月初,家人才被正式告知刘晓波患有癌症。但此消息直到当年的6月26日才向外界公布。我怀疑,实际情况可能是当局意识到他病情危急,即将去世,而若他死于狱中,后果将极其严重——显而易见,历史上唯一一位在国家监禁中去世的诺贝尔和平奖得主,是德国的和平主义者卡尔·冯·奥西茨基(Carl von Ossietzky),他于1935年获奖,三年后死于纳粹的牢狱之中。

当局迅速将刘晓波转送至一家设有安保的医院,并向外发布了一份看似人道的声明,宣称他“保外就医”。但事实是,他在那里仍然被严密看守,只不过从监狱转移到了肿瘤病房。

面对外界的质疑,中国当局开始全方位为自己辩解。政府开始罕见地定期公布刘晓波的病情通报,甚至允许外国医生前往探视。《环球时报》作为中共对外宣传的主要喉舌,则一连发表多篇文章攻击刘晓波,并完全撇掉政府的责任。

其中一篇发表于刘晓波的病情公开两天之后,语气严厉。文章暗示刘晓波不会被允许出国就医,理由完全是政治性的:出国后,他可能利用诺奖得主身份“为中国制造麻烦”。至于他的癌症,文章毫不掩饰地归咎于他本人:“咎由自取”。

这篇英文社论语气冰冷,写道:

“中国并没有如西方在上世纪八九十年代预测的那样崩溃,反而创造了世界经济奇迹。一批民主运动者和异议分子赌输了,毁了自己的一生。刘晓波即使获得诺贝尔和平奖,最终的命运依然可能是悲剧性的。”

文章还预测他将被人遗忘,声称只有在“个人奋斗和坚持……顺应了中国发展和时代潮流”的情况下,才能成就一个英雄的诞生。

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某种意义上,这正是问题的核心所在:中国的历史走向究竟是什么?中共一直用某种历史宿命论为其统治辩护,声称自己是“历史选择的结果”,肩负“救中国于危难”的使命。但在经历了几十年的动荡后,1970年代末期,共产党又把自己扮演成缔造发展的独裁者角色:它带来了发展,所以它有理由统治这个国家。

然而,在过去的十年里,随着经济增长放缓,以及许多中国人习惯了繁荣,这种逻辑已经在减弱。现在中国的统治者开始使用其它理由:执政者正在努力恢复20世纪被摧毁的传统,并发誓要创造一种更加道德的政治和社会秩序。这正是习近平执政理念的核心之一:宣称他的统治是对稳定与传统的回归。

然而,“进谏”——即提出建设性批评这一深植于中国政治文化的传统,则是被习拒绝的。中国历史绵长,许多皇帝虽拒绝忠谏,甚至残杀谏臣,但在后来的史书中都被视为暴君。如果今天的中国真在尝试重建一种道德政治秩序,那么,仅因思想与言论就严厉打击一位知识分子,怎能令人信服?

这就是刘晓波的重要之处:他的一生和死亡,代表了过去一个世纪以来,那些中国改革的倡导者们要面对的根本难题:不是如何提高GDP或收复失去的领土,而是如何创造一个更人道、更公正的政治制度。

和谭嗣同一样,刘晓波知道他在历史里的责任。谭嗣同目睹中国被一个必须打破的因果恶性循环所困。对于刘晓波,他作为公共知识分子的角色是看到未来,并把他所见的描述出来,不管付出什么代价。正如他在1988年的文章《论孤独》中写道的一样:

“他的最重要的、甚至是唯一的使命就是为时代、为民族、为人类提供‘超前意识’。知识分子的视野必须在现存的观念、秩序之外,必须是冒险者,孤独地前行,直到他走出很远之后,人们才可能发现其价值……他能在盛世中透视出危机的预兆,在自信中体验到即将光临的幻灭。”

本期推荐档案:

林培瑞、吴大志:《我没有敌人:刘晓波的生平和遗产》(英文)

蔡楚(主编):《刘晓波纪念文集》

国内 Vibe Coding:基于 Kimi K2 的 Claude Code Docker 版

13 July 2025 at 04:57
huangsen365:

国内 Vibe Coding:基于 Kimi K2 的 Claude Code Docker 版

月之暗面最近发布了万亿参数模型 Kimi K2 ,提供了 Anthropic 兼容接口。我把官方 Claude Code CLI 打包成 Docker 镜像,结合 Kimi K2 API ,让国内开发者也能畅享 Vibe Coding 体验。

项目特点

  • 一键启动:无需安装 Node.js ,直接 Docker 运行
  • 国内优化:默认使用 Moonshot Kimi K2 的兼容接口,无需梯子
  • 零配置:自动处理 API Key 输入,中英双语提示
  • 灵活部署:支持挂载本地目录,持久化配置

快速体验

docker run --rm -it -e ANTHROPIC_BASE_URL="https://api.moonshot.cn/anthropic" -w /root --name my-claude-code huangsen365/claude-code claude

运行后会提示输入 API Key (需要先在 Moonshot 申请)。

实际使用

挂载本地项目目录:

docker run --rm -it \
  -v "$PWD:/data" \
  -v "$HOME/.config/claude:/root/.config/claude" \
  -e ANTHROPIC_BASE_URL="https://api.moonshot.cn/anthropic" \
  -w /data \
  --name my-claude-code \
  huangsen365/claude-code claude

技术细节

  • 基于 Ubuntu 最新版,使用阿里云镜像加速
  • 自动安装 claude-code CLI 最新版本
  • 支持自定义 API 端点,兼容各类 Anthropic API 服务

注意事项

项目仍在持续完善中,目前建议在 x86_64 架构的 Docker 环境下运行。ARM 架构支持正在计划中。

如果你也在寻找一个方便的 AI 编程助手解决方案,不妨试试看。有任何问题或建议,欢迎到 GitHub 提 Issue 。


项目开源,MIT 协议

用了十多年的 wechat 说登陆不上就登不上了。

By: ruoyutx
13 July 2025 at 04:13
ruoyutx:

号用了十多年了。今天换手机登陆了,就把旧手机的 wechat 删除了。(+44 的 )

到了另一个手机上突然懵逼。有登陆安全限制。且只有唯一选项 就是原设备扫码 进行确认 才可登陆。之前可以密码,或短信,在严重一点 都是 两个好友发送验证码 帮助验证的。

除了唯一选项:原设备扫码外,下面还有一排小字。如果无法使用以上验证,请重新注册 wechat 号

我这个 wechat 只是取消过 实名,没用支付功能,就纯偶尔 收个消息用用

一直觉得这坨屎已经够臭了。原来还有如此恶心的机制。不知道微信团队是怎么想的,我这种情况还有救吗?

在补充一句,也算不上纯新设备,手机 mac,路由 mac,ip 都是一样的情况下

A Grand Canyon Access Point Is Closed as 19,000 Acres Burn Nearby

13 July 2025 at 05:39
Access via the North Rim, a lesser-used gateway to the national park, was closed as the White Sage fire continued to burn on Saturday.

© Bureau of Land Management, via Associated Press

Firefighting efforts north of Grand Canyon National Park in Arizona on Thursday. The White Sage fire, which covered more than 19,000 acres, continued to burn on Saturday.

FEMA Approved Removal of Many Camp Mystic Buildings From Flood Zones

13 July 2025 at 02:58
Camp Mystic owners successfully appealed to the Federal Emergency Management Agency to redesignate some buildings that had been considered part of a flood-hazard zone.

© Callaghan O'Hare for The New York Times

Campers’ belongings outside cabins at Camp Mystic, where 27 people died in one of the deadliest U.S. floods in decades.

Rubio Visits Asia in Shadow of Trump’s Tariffs

Marco Rubio made his first visit to Asia as secretary of state. Edward Wong, a diplomatic correspondent for The New York Times, reports from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, to explain how President Trump’s tariffs have upset U.S. trading partners.

新加坡地铁图 - 全面指南与网络布局

13 July 2025 at 02:19
awendujitang: 全面的地铁网络
探索新加坡的全面地铁网络,涵盖所有主要线路及站点。我们的地铁图为您提供确切的路线选择,让您在新加坡的出行更加便捷。

多语言支持
我们提供多种语言版本的地铁图,包括英文和韩文,确保每位旅客都能轻松理解和使用。

高清晰度图像
我们提供高分辨率的地铁地图图片,确保您可以清晰地查看每一条线路和车站,无论是印刷还是电子版都能完美呈现。

https://remit.ee/tools/metro/sg/
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